I have been looking and trying to find a 6 string tuning that fits my eye and most of all 35 years of muscle memory. I believe I have settled on one but don't know why it took so long to find it.

I have 35 years of E9 pedal steel muscle memory built into my brain and I don't want to confuse my feeble mind with a C or D or A tuning.

I am settling on the E6. 6 string tuned lo to high
EG#BC#EG# or 135613. Same interval as the C6. It seems a natural tuning for a life long E9 pedal guy like me.

Am I missing something? Don't think I hear anything about this 6 string tuning. Maybe it's the High G# being a little thin sounding.

Any instruction written for C6 would directly fall into the E tuning just a different key. The C# is my A pedal and my major and minor chord grips would translate to all the same positions that are burned into my feeble brain.

Seems like a natural move to me. What do others think?

Fred

Scott Duckworth

From:Etowah, TN Western Foothills of the Smokies

Posted 5 Nov 2017 3:50 am

I play an older E6 and E7 tuning.

E6 low to high
B, C#, E, G#, B, E

E7 low to high
B, D, E, G#, B, E

Works very well for playing melody lines, taking the lead, or just playing along._________________(1) E6 Rogue lap steel, (1) A6 Rogue lap steel, Li'l Izzy, Zoom MS-50G Effects Pedal into a Berhinger mixer and Harbinger V2112 speaker(s).

Doug I have done a little fooling around on the E9 and I thought that would be my tuning. After giving it a little more thought I believe the E6 with the 3rd on top looks the most useful for me to make a run at 6 string lap.

The 6th gives me a lot to work with ie the A pedal positions.

Will stay in touch and thanks.

Fred

Jeff Mead

From:London, England

Posted 5 Nov 2017 3:23 pm

That tuning worked pretty well for Don Helms over the years - he mostly only used the top 6 strings.